Every Major Event Kate Middleton Has Worn The Lover's Knot Tiara For

When it comes to elaborate jewelry, there's no competing with the royal family jewels collection, especially when it comes to royal tiaras. Brought out for high profile state events and for weddings, tiaras are a signal of true royalty. One famous piece in the royal tiara collection is the Lover's Knot Tiara. Princess Diana didn't wear the Lover's Knot Tiara for her wedding — she opted for the Spencer Tiara that some think Princess Charlotte will inherit one day — but Diana was a particular fan of this piece, and her son's wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, seems to be as well.

The Lover's Knot Tiara in the royal family collection was first made in 1914 for Queen Mary, and it was apparently inspired by a piece that Mary's grandmother-in-law, Princess Augusta of Hesse-Kassel, the Duchess of Cambridge, once wore. It features a combination of pearls and diamonds, and it was inherited by Queen Elizabeth II. Like Diana, Kate went with a different tiara for her wedding day (the Cartier Halo Tiara), but the Lover's Knot Tiara seems to have become a go-to for the latest Princess of Wales for special occasions.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, first wore the Lover's Knot Tiara in 2015 for her second major tiara moment after her wedding: the Annual Diplomatic Reception.This was the first time it had been seen worn since Princess Diana died. Kate paired it on this occasion with a pale blue gown from Alexander McQueen, the same fashion house who made Kate's wedding dress. 

Kate wore the Lover's Knot Tiara again to the diplomatic recept for multiple years afterwards, including the 2017 diplomatic reception, when she was pregnant with Prince Louis.

Kate Middleton continued what had become a years-long tradition of wearing the Lover's Knot Tiara to the Annual Diplomatic Reception in 2019. This time she wore a dark velvet gown by Alexander McQueen, and again, her necklace was on loan from Queen Elizabeth II. The Nizam of Hyderabad necklace was one of Queen Elizabeth's wedding gifts, and it paired beautifully with the tiara and a pair of chandelier diamond earrings.

Along with the diplomatic receptions, Kate Middleton has worn the dramatic Lover's Knot Tiara to a number of state dinners over the years, including in 2017 at the banquet for King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain. Her other accessories for the occasion included pearl drop earrings and the Greville Ruby Necklace.

While the tiara is always going to be a show-stopping piece, the necklace was impressive in its own right. Kate appears to have received it on loan from Queen Elizabeth II, who got the ruby and diamond necklace for her wedding. It was made in the early 1900s, and it features an intricate flower-inspired design and a large diamond pendant.

In 2018, Catherine, Princess of Wales wore the famous Lover's Knot Tiara for the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. And along with the always stunning tiara, she had a new accessory in the form of a yellow ribbon with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, symbolizing the Royal Family Order. Kate was given the badge in 2017, and it's the highest honor that a woman in the royal family can receive from the monarch. 

Kate's other accessories included a pearl and diamond necklace made in 1863 as a wedding present from the future King Edward VII to his bride, Denmark's Princess Alexandra. The necklace has its own matching tiara that Kate chose not to wear, but it still looked great with the Lover's Knot.

When Donald and Melania Trump came to the U.K. for a state visit in 2019, Catherine, Princess of Wales, donned the Lover's Knot Tiara for the state banquet along with a white, ruffle-layered gown by Alexander McQueen. In contrast to Melania and Queen Elizabeth, Kate skipped the gloves for the event, leaving her arms bare.

Kate was also wearing a blue sash for the first time. It denoted that she was officially a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order; she received the honor in April 2019 on her 8th wedding anniversary "for services to the sovereign," according to the royal family website.

Thanks to the COVID pandemic, there weren't a lot of opportunities for Catherine, Princess of Wales, to wear a tiara in 2020 and 2021, but she was back at it in 2022 for the visit of Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa. It was the first state banquet since Queen Elizabeth II died, and touchingly, Kate wore a pearl bracelet that had belonged to the queen for the event. We love to see it when Kate wears jewelry that has sentimental meaning, and in this case, she seemed to be subtly paying homage to Queen Elizabeth. She also donned a pair of the late Princess Diana's pearl earrings and was dressed in a sparkling Jenny Packham gown. 

Kate Middleton showed she was the queen of recycling gorgeous royal looks with her long-sleeved pink sequin gown by Jenny Packham and the Lover's Knot Tiara. She first wore the glittering dress and famous tiara in January 2023 to the royal wedding reception for Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Rajwa Alseif.

She wore the same outfit to the diplomatic reception in December that year. Both times, she also wore the Greville Chandelier earrings, another favorite piece from Queen Elizabeth's collection of wedding gift jewelry.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, was a vision in red for the July 2025 state visit of Emmanuel Macron, president of France, and his wife Brigitte Macron. Her red cape dress was by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, and she skipped a necklace entirely, letting the dress and, of course, the Lover's Knot Tiara to take center stage.

It was the first time that Kate wore a tiara since announcing her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. A photo of Kate with William, Prince of Wales all dressed up and ready to go to the dinner was shared on their official Instagram page, and commenters raved about how good the two looked.

For the September 2025 state dinner held in honor of Donald Trump, Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore a high-necked gold gown along with the Lover's Knot Tiara and a pair of Queen Elizabeth's earrings. While another of Kate's looks landed her on our worst dressed list for Donald and Melania Trump's visit to the U.K., this state dinner look of Kate's was a big win. Along with fabulous accessories, Kate wore her hair down and in loose curls, marking a departure from the norm for her; for past tiara moments, Kate often worn her hair up.